Sport

Finch joy at four-day Tykes chance

AARON FINCH may be one of world cricket’s biggest names at present, but the Australian batsman has admitted that he arrived at Headingley to play for Yorkshire earlier this season with an inferiority complex.

The Victorian right-hander spent two months with the county from mid-May onwards, playing Twenty20 and County Championship cricket, the latter as a replacement for Kane Williamson whilst he was on tour in the West Indies with New Zealand.

Finch was, and still is, rated as the world’s number one T20 batsman, but his first-class statistics were nowhere near as impressive.

However, in his five Championship appearances for the White Rose, the 27-year-old found form and hit 291 runs, including a century, at an average of 48.5.

Finch has returned home to be part of a national training camp ahead of their forthcoming one-day tour to Zimbabwe, and he told Melbourne Radio station SEN: "Realistically, I probably didn't deserve to take up an international spot in Yorkshire's side.

"It's been a format that I've struggled with for the past couple of years, but I think that my game's changed slightly, my technique has tightened up.

"And I've got my head around batting in the middle order, which is a great change up from the top (of the order). It's a totally different scenario.

"It was a great opportunity, and something I was very thankful for. I was happy that I could get some runs and contribute in a big way in a couple of games.

"I feel as though my game has changed slightly, and my mental side of the longer format is coming together pretty well now.

“I've definitely got an eye on playing Test cricket at some point in my career. It's just a case now of putting some big scores on the board for Victoria and trying to force my way in there if an opportunity arises down the track."